Aarakocra
Aarakocra are a race of avian beings resembling bearded vultures. Origin and Distribution Aarakocra originated from the Himmel Mountains, evolving from the bearded vulture species and settling in the mountains' highest peaks, their ancestral drive to fly giving them an innate desire to be as close to the sky as is possible. Because of this, aarakocra are very rarely found in modern civilisations, finding them to be far too claustrophobic and busy for their tastes. Appearance Aarakocra resemble bipedal bearded vultures, having hollow bones, a short neck and beak, small, rounded head and primarily white feathers covering all but their wings, beard and tail, which are pitch black. The longer upper lip of their beak, hooked structure and notched tongue give aarakocra a strong enough grip that they are able to strip the flesh of their prey with ease. They stand digitigrade on slender, scaled legs and four-taloned feet. Three digits face forward, while one faces back for balance. A black band runs from their forehead to across their eyes and either side of their beak, absorbing the glare of the sunlight and easing the strain on their eyes. An aarakocra's wingspan can reach 12 feet in length, with the actual base of the wings located on an enlarged dorsal hump, allowing for greater freedom of movement and flexibility when in flight. A wedge-shaped tail acts as a rudder, providing more control and maneuverability both in the air and on the ground. Aarakocra have better lung capacity and breathing control than other races, mainly due to their enlarged lungs, which more easily circulates the flow of oxygen and blood and prevents hypothermia and suffocation when reaching the high altitudes that they do. Wide irises increase the distance at which aarakocra can perceive movement, while slightly sunken eye sockets and a forward position provide them with exceptional binocular vision. Aarakocra are able to see in a broader spectrum of colours than other races, and are even able to perceive ultraviolet light. A transparent eyelid moistens and cleans the eyes, keeping it free of dirt and preventing dry eye when in the air. Barbless feathers along the sides of their head protect their internal ears, both located behind and just below each eye. This allows them to hear at a quicker pace than other animals and folk without worrying about the risk of turbulence. Reproduction Aarakocra reproduce once a year, only on the day of an eclipse. Two eggs to a pair is common within to the species, with the second egg laid a week apart from the first out of fear that the first may be stillborn. Hatching occurs in the spring, allowing the hatchlings to feast on the remains of animals that failed to survive the winter. Gestation lasts for about two weeks, while the actual process of incubating the eggs can take between six to seven weeks. Aarakocran eggs are about the size of an adult's head and have a stone-grey shade of colour, which allows them to camouflage more easily against their mountainous environment. Life Cycle Aarakocran young are known as chicks at birth, while they are known as fledgelings once they have developed their flight feathers. Chicks are born with a fluffy coat of primarily dark brown feathers, which will darken into black along the wings and tail, and brighten into white across the remainder of their body as they mature. Aarakocra are ready to fly after five weeks from hatching. Their wings are able to grow up to twelve feet in length, allowing to comfortably fly on the updrafts of the Himmel Mountains in search of food. Usually, aarakocra fly at low altitudes to use their powerful eyes to their advantage, but during spring and especially summer, aarakocra fly at higher altitudes to maintain their body temperature. At these times, aarakocra are known to molt most of their feathers to reduce heat. Diet Aarakocra are carrion eaters, with around 90% of their diet being composed entirely of the bones of corpses. Their strong stomach acids lets them easily break down the bone marrow, and aarakocra often make themselves vomit to further ease the process of consumption by corroding the decaying flesh. Language The native language of the aarakocra is Rede, which is based on German in both alphabet and structure. The dialect of the species is similarly German in inspiration, specifically that of High German, with a slight nasal to their voice to accommodate the existence of their beaks. Names Aarakocran first names are objectively descriptive, such as Kurze, which means "short one", or Erster, which means "first one". Surnames are occupational, such as Steinmetzin or Köchin, which mean "stonemason" and "cook", respectively. Religion The religion of the majority of aarakocra is Allwissendism, derived from the German word allwissend, which means omniscient. It is not an organised religion like Quinticism, and instead is simply a set of beliefs and rituals that followers adhere to under the guidance of their deities. The only ritual enforced by law is that of the law stating that all marriage ceremonies can only be held on the day of an eclipse, and are the only times when an aarakocra may mate with another aarakocra. Abilities Allwissendism grants those that adhere to its beliefs and practices the following abilities: * You are able to hold your breath indefinitely. * You are able to cast Identify as a cantrip at 1st Level. * You are able to learn and cast any and all air-based spells, whether they belong to your selected class or not. Deities Allwissendism revolves around the reverence of three gods: Nacht, the god of the night sky, the moon and stars, darkness and the future; Tag, the god of the daytime sky, the clouds, the sun, and the past; and Zeit, the god of knowledge, history and time. All three gods lack a gender, being referred to in scripture with the gender-neutral terms of "they" and "them". Nacht and Tag are believed to have created the air with their breath, while their bodies form the skies of their respective domains, and their singular eye forms the celestial body of these times. Zeit is the creator and guardian of time, history, knowledge and curiosity. They hold all of the events, both large-scale and small-scale, that transpired in the past and that are currently happening in the present. They also instilled within the folk of Hollumund their intense curiosity and desire for information. Dogma Allwissendism teaches the importance of protecting all life beneath the sky, preventing air pollution to sustain the health of Nacht and Tag's lungs, tolerating all systems of belief, and of accepting and moving on from tragedy and trauma. Symbols The symbol of Allwissendism is a single curving line above and below a triskele. The upper line represents Nacht and the future, the bottom line represents Tag and the past, and the triskele represents the air, sky and Zeit. Temples Aarakocra do not have physical temples dedicated to Allwissendism. Instead, they have a stone arch placed the entrance of each of their cities and town, the three symbols of the the respective deities etched into the top to represent their constant presence. Rites and Rituals Prayers of gratitude are common among acolytes of Allwissendism. These ritual should only be spoken in Rede, the language of the faith's gods themselves, and only at the exact moment of midnight, when night and day become one. All members of the family are expected to participate in the prayers, although they are carried out in the privacy of the family's home. The family sits kneels down on their bed, under the moonlight, and give thanks to Nacht, Tag and Zeit for their gifts to the aarakocra and promise to continue their teachings until the day of their death. Holy Days The eclipse is one of the most important days of the year for Allwissendists, as it dictates the time of their marriage ceremonies. While more of a social ritual than a religious one, Allwissendists do see their deities' existence as the reason for their ability to hold these ceremonies, and so use this day as the time for both marriage and mating. Prayers / Sayings The most common phrase that practitioners of this faith use is the saying "May the sun's / moon's light guide you", a blessing in the same manner as saying "I wish that you are watched over by our gods". Titles and Hierarchy Followers of Allwissendism are known as Anhänger for males and Anhängerin for females. Gender Aarakocra consider legal and social differences in the treatment of the two genders to be redundant and ridiculous. This stems from the fact that there is no noticeable physical differences between males and females of their species. Both genders hold the same legal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for employment, and are not held to standards specific to their gender. Birth The birth of a chick is a private affair, only able to be legally attended by members of the family. Aarakocra believe it to be unlucky to discuss the birth of a child before it is born, considering it the cause of stillborns. They see stillborns as a punishment from the gods for falling into a cynical, doubtful mindset, opposed to the deities' teachings of optimism and trust. At the time of hatching, the parents will be taken to a building known as the Greenhouse, where they will plant a tree to represent the new life of their child. As the child grows, so does the tree, and parents are expected to not only care for it themselves, but also to show their child how to take care of it in order to teach them responsibility and generosity. Child-Rearing Biparental care is the legal definition of child-rearing in aarakocran society, with both parents sharing equal amounts of time caring for their children. If, for whatever reason, one parent is unavailable, their closest adult relative of the same gender as them is expected to take over the role of parent until they return. Coming-Of-Age Since aarakocra marry at the same time as they marry, the marriage ceremony is considered a significant part of the coming-of-age ritual itself. To signify the new life that the child will be leading once they marry, the tree that was planted at the time of the child's birth is cut down on the day of their marriage by the newfound couple and sold to create the couple's starting funds. Marriage Monogamy is the legal and social standard in aarakocran society. Since aarakocra mate for life, they consider remarrying after the death of a partner or to engage in extramarital or premarital relations as similar in the eyes of the law and society. An aarakocran marriage begins at the time of an eclipse, and is initiated with preening the chosen partner's feathers. If the proposal is accepted, this will be allowed to continue. The newfound mate will then lock talons with their suitor. Preening is an intimidate gesture of affection only socially acceptable between a parent and their child or between a couple. Once the preening is done, the suitor will begin an intricate aerial display in a special area legally set aside by the family to ensure absolute privacy. This area is called the Dance Plateau because of its significance to the ceremony. This impressive dance is choreographed several weeks in advance by the suitor's parent of the same gender as them, in order to abide by aarakocran privacy laws. The dance is meant to show the betrothed the suitor's agility, grace and memory. At the middling point of the dance, the suitor's mate is expected to join them in the dance to show their willingness to stand by their mate. Much like their suitor, the partner prepares the dance beforehand with their parent. After the dance is finished, the couple will make their way to a building known as the Rookery to consummate the marriage. Death Traditionally, aarakocra do not bury their dead. Instead, they allow the corpse to be consumed by the deceased's family, They see this as the rightful way to dispose of a body, believing that, since the soul has already left, to leave the body beneath the earth or to perform any other manner of burial ritual is wasteful of a good meal. This tradition is also carried out to prevent the spread of deadly pathogens from the decomposing corpses. Ethics and Values Adherent Aarakocra desire to maintain the natural cycle of life and death, and despise any attempts to disrupt this cycle through murder or necroturgy. The latter is the only Galdra criminalised within the Himmel Mountains for this reason. Helpful Aarakocra believe that everyone has a duty to help those around them, and nobody should ever shy away from helping those in need or be reluctant to attempt to save someone. They see purposefully allowing someone to die or be injured through neglect as the same as murdering or harming them yourself, and is legally treated the same as murder and physical abuse. Knowledgeable Information and expanding upon what the current generation knows and understands is one of the core concepts of aarakocran life. They see discovery and curiosity as objectively positive, and withholding information for any reason as objectively negative and a sign of a lack of trust in their intelligence and maturity. Optimistic Despite their logical stance, aarakocra maintain an optimistic outlook in life. They maintain the belief that all beings have a natural proclivity towards generosity and kindness, and that nobody is born evil, only made so by society. Even after a century of war, aarakocra preach the principle of empathy and understanding, to never judge anyone without a justified reason for doing so. Pacifistic Aarakocra believe in the sanctity of life, and that killing in anything other than self-defense, such as murder by inaction or organising someone's death, to be a disgusting and vile action. They see every living thing as deserving of a right of live, to the point where they abhor the death-sentence of other races' legal systems. Self-defense itself should only be undertaken as a last resort, when all other peaceful options have been expended, and carried out quick and as painless as possible. Polite Being polite to those around you is important to aarakocra, as it is a good way to show that you respect them. When in a room full of strangers, it is customary to shake everyone's hands and give them a cheery "good morning", or "good evening / afternoon". To not do so is incredibly rude. Similarly, saying goodbye is expected when taking leave, even in a group. Vulgarity is looked down-upon as a sign of stupidity, as aarakocra believe that those who swear lack the proper mental faculties to use proper, polite words instead. Practical Aarakocra see creations made solely for decorative purpose as ridiculous, finding that something should be made only for practical use and nothing less. For this reason, they do not dye their clothes, prepare food or work with more than the stone, metal, wood and animal hide of their natural environment for their building materials. Private Privacy within aarakocran society is very important, and breaking the privacy laws ingrained within their legal system holds a severe punishment of plucking the feathers from the offender's wings to render them flightless for several weeks. Aarakocra believe that only a parent and a child who share the same gender can see each other in the vulnerable state of nudity. The only other exception to this law is the child's partner, though only once their marriage proposal has been accepted. Tolerant Aarakocra uphold the value of tolerance as important to maintaining peaceful relations with the other races of the world. They see all philosophies, religions and cultures to be of equal value to each other, and should be treated with the utmost respect even if they are not fully understood by the aarakocra themselves. Only when an act of violence is motivated by certain schools of thought will aarakocra become intolerant towards those held beliefs, but they have never believed in criminalising those beliefs as they consider it contradictory to their stance on tolerance. Science and Technology Armour Tanned leather from animal hides is used for armour. Aarakocran armour is made up of shoulder and knee pads, a leather torso connected across the back by a merged suspender set between the wings, and a pair of leather bracers and leg greaves. This provides the utmost amount of protection available to the soldier while retaining a considerable amount of flexibility and freedom of movement. Astronomy Aarakocra are intensely intrigued by the various planes of existence found beyond Hollumund, and have dedicated many generations to figuring out the Astrolabe Cosmology Theory, which posits that the many realms are similar to an astrolabe, with the Material Plane as the central realm and the outer planes as the circulating rings. They were the first race to discover the Tears Between Worlds, the small punctures of light, also known as stars, along the filament that forms the sky, which has led to further advancements made in the field of Galdra study, due to a greater understanding of the Galdras' sources of power. Buildings Stone is the only material used in construction of buildings. All aarakocran buildings are exceptionally wide, in order to make room for the species' wings, and are notable for having no method of getting from one floor to the next other than flying. Homesteads are two stories in height and have a domed top. A quarter-circle is cut into the front of the second floor to serves as an entrance to the otherwise entrance-less building. The first and second floors are separated by a wooden floor, which has a semi-circle cut into it to function both as a chimney for the fire and as an entrance into the upper level of the house. The interior is made up of one room per floor and holds only the essentials: a round table for food, stools to accommodate the species' wings, a fire pit in the middle of the first floor for heat, a stone bathtub, and a closet for clothes. A large, circular bed made from goat wool is placed at the entrance of the house. Since aarakocran families share a bed, this gives them a wonderful view of the sky at night. Other buildings, such as the Rookery and the guild headquarters, are only a single story in height, but are far wider than homes. They are made up of different rooms for each part of the respective occupations, such as the entrance room, the fitting rooms, the weaving room for the tailor's guild. The interior is similarly as sparse with furniture as homes, only ever having the exact tools required for the job at hand and objects for storage and sitting. These buildings are notable for their complete lack of a ceiling, windows and walls for all but specific rooms set aside for privacy, such as the Rookery. This is because aarakocra can easily fly into the building through the top without worry, a feat impossible for other races. Clothing Wool from mountain goats is the primary material in clothing. Aarakocra do not believe in dying or stylising their clothes, instead only making changes to each article of clothing for the sole sake of comfort. To dente differences between occupations and rank, a simple insignia suffices. Shirts are held up by a collar, with an open back to accommodate the wings. Trousers are kept quite short, reaching only their knees, and have a broad waist to provide enough room for the wearer's wide pelvis. Because of the shape of their feet and the sideways position of their ears, aarakocra are unable to wear footwear or headgear of any kind. Date and Time Aarakocra employ the use of simple, stone-based sundials to tell the time and volvelles as a calendar to predict the exact day of an eclipse. Volvelles are kept in the building holding each city's committee, and use the aarakocran calendar to tell the day. Shields Wooden shields remain the choice of shield for soldiers, as metal shields have been proven to be far more cumbersome, awkward and heavy than they are worth. Weapons Wood forms the base of all weaponry for aarakocra, as it is lightweight enough to carry while also being able to deal a significant amount of damage to their opponents. After entering into the Iron Age, however, aarakocra began to mine and smelt the ores of the mountain range to produce shortswords, daggers and flanged maces. Interspecies Relations Gnoll Aarakocra and gnolls maintain a symbiotic relationship, able to compensate for the others' flaws when hunting and doubling the amount of food that they are able to bring home. Aarakocra remain tolerant of the gnoll's differing culture and religion, especially so in the case of the misandrist gnollish beliefs being in contrast to the more egalitarian aarakocran perspective.